32 Things Every Man Should Do

1) Physically build something – Nothing says girly man like an inability to build even the most simplest of objects. If you can’t build a bookshelf or a nightstand its high-time you get to building. I tell you, one of the only physical things I truly value is a high-end bookshelf my father made for me many years ago. Since that time I have moved probably a dozen times and I’ve even sold 100% of my furniture, but I still have the bookshelf. It’s the things we build with our own hands, with our own sweat, that are worth something in this life. You can give me an entire Ikea store or keep my bookshelf and I will keep my bookshelf.

2) Build a business – Working for someone else is a soul-killer. Taking orders is for order-takers. Building a business will teach you more about life than all your schooling and work experience combined. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a big-fat check with your name on it as a result of all your sweat equity. Building your own business(s) will develop unwavering confidence in your abilities. Leave the modesty for the modest. You can’t be modest and be a big-dog.

3) Take privacy seriously- It’s a new world, boys. All that seemingly harmless information you give to the internet can and may come back to haunt you. Your name here, your address there, your date of birth here, your social security number there and pretty soon a social engineer has all your information and will take you to the cleaners. It will be a very nasty process trying to get all your dough back after a clever hack robbed you blind because you GAVE AWAY all of your information.

4) Own his online name - See above. Every man should own HisOwnName.com. Whether you want to use it or not. Your name is your identity, it’s your reputation, and you should own it. One day in the future you may want to sell your consulting services online and you want the instant credibility of a dot com behind your name, but if you wait you will not get it. Domains are only going to become harder and harder to come by. If you have a common name like John Smith you will never get your own dot com with your name (unless you use initials like JRSmith.com or something similar) but if you have an uncommon name you should grab your name dot com domain RIGHT NOW. Someday in the future you may have enemies who wish to harm you, they could grab yourname.com and do some real reputation damage. Go to boldanddetermined.net and get yourname.com immediately. Domains run less than $10 per year and now you have peace of mind knowing you own your name and insurance against anyone else owning it.

5) Lift weights- Every reader of BOLD & DETERMINED knows this. Weights are for men. Little baby boys have Olive Oyl arms and fat bellies. Get in the gym and kill it. Lifting weights will teach you how to push yourself to the limit. It will teach you about setting and reaching goals. It will give you confidence in yourself and your abilities. And it will make you STRONG.

6) Eat meat – Meat is what produces testosterone, testosterone is what makes men. All those vegetarian dweebs you see are effeminate for a reason.

7) Dress for success- You can tell everything about a person by the way they dress. Filthy, dirty hippies dress like filthy, dirty hippies and you can tell instantly that they a) have no work ethic, b) want to steal from you and yours, c) hate everything good, wholesome and strong, d) deserve a punch in the face.

Clean and Sharp is the rule. You don’t need to wear a three piece double breasted suit everyday but you do need to be clean and sharp and ready for business.

8) Wet Shave – Shaving with a disposable razor is like shaving with a toy. When you grow up you’re supposed to stop playing with toys. Men should shave with real razors, like their Grandfathers did before them. Wet shaving isn’t just shaving and grooming, it’s a ritual.

You get out your razor, and shaving cream, and badgers hair brush.

You wet the badgers hair brush and take the brush across your whiskers to wet them.

You mix up the water and your shaving cream in a coffee mug.

You lather up your face, you really work in the cream in between all the whiskers.

You get out your dual sided safety razor and you start shaving, being careful not to cut yourself because it’s extremely sharp. By the time you are done there is not a single whisker to be found. Your face is as smooth as a baby’s.

9) Shake hands- The hand shake is how men greet and address each other. The ‘fist bump’ and other assorted bullshit is how lower forms of life greet each other. A firm handshake is an indicator of strength and respect. Respect for yourself and respect for others. The fist bump shows a clear lack of respect for tradition, strength and pride. Fist bumpers deserve a fist bump to the face.

11) Keep a Positive Mental Attitude – Read motivating works and listen to motivating music. Despair art and sad music can easily put us into a depressed mood. Uplifting art can uplift you and put you in a positive state of mind. Just say no to despair blogs, sad music and whiny bullshit. Say yes to high energy art.

12) Own your car outright – Debt is slavery. If you have to make payments on your car you can’t afford it. Buy a cheaper one and pay ALL CASH. 48 months of payments is a long time to pay to get from point A to point B. If you have the dough, go ahead and splurge on a luxury car. If you don’t have the dough, work and build until you do have the dough. Until then, drive something cheaper. Remember, if you can’t afford it in cash you don’t deserve it. LIVE LIKE A SPARTAN.

13) Be loyal to blood - The thing about lowlife liberals is that they hate everything about their race and culture and wish to destroy it. They hate the strength and pride of tradition. Nonsense, embrace the traditional and embrace your blood. When push comes to shove all you have is your blood. No one else will ever do for you in times of need. Blood first, everything else a very, very distant second.

14) Stop watching porn- Heavy porn watchers are always Low-T having, light avoiding, pussy repellent boys. It’s embarrassing to be a masturbater and it is shameful. No matter what the degenerate liars on tv say, it is nothing to be proud of. If someone walked in on you masturbating you would feel righteous shame. When you give up the porn you have time for more important things, like building a business, having more energy, attracting women, and being a damn man.

15) Never supplicate to women – Men are the rightful leaders. When you give your power over to a woman you are truly a vile little specimen. Women don’t deserve undo praise and they certainly do not deserve everything men deserve. You’ve got to be the leader of your woman. If you aren’t the leader of your women you are her follower. A follower is also known as a chump or a cuckold. Don’t be a chump, be a champ!

Punk: Oh, well, I would but you know, I have this and that to do and I just don’t have the time…

Man version:

Someone: Do you want to help me take care of my sick grandma?

Man: No.

17) Seek out adventure – What is life if without adventure? BORING. Jump off some cliffs. Run a Spartan death race. Go to Mexico and avoid being kidnapped. Jump from an airplane. Life is for the living, baby. Have fun with it.

18) Take cold showers – Cold showers will turn a sissy into a man. Cold showers are the best. Cold showers refresh you. They make you feel alive. Cold showers get your blood pumping and your lungs working. Cold showers are how a man should start his day.

19) Don’t talk too much - Talking too much about your future plans fools your mind into thinking you’ve already accomplished it. The more you talk about your goals, the LESS LIKELY you are to accomplish them. The rule is don’t say nothing until you’ve accomplished. Before you accomplish you’re just a talker, after you accomplish you’re a walker.

20) Know how to throw a punch - You’ll probably never have to fight anyone in your life. Doesn’t mean you don’t need to know how to throw a punch. Knowing how to throw a punch will give you the confidence you need if ever confronted. There is no reason to go through life not knowing how to do something as simple as throwing a punch.

Besides, punching a heavy bag is a lot of fucking fun.

21) Stay out of debt – Debt is prison. As long as you are in debt you will always be a prisoner. CASH IS KING. If you have the cash, pay for it. If you don’t have the cash, SAVE UP! It is one thing to use credit cards to take advantage of frequent flier miles and other points, it’s another to use credit cards because you can’t afford to buy your girlfriend Christmas gifts. STAY OUT OF DEBT AT ALL COSTS.

22) Subscribe to the BOLD & DETERMINED email updates- Come on. It’s free and it isn’t spammy. It’s full of kick-ass shit you don’t get anywhere else on the internet. [Note: We used to have two different mail services, now we have one. If you aren’t getting email updates and you want them you will need to sign up again.]

23) Never rely on anyone else for your income - It’s a changing world, baby. Jobs are going everywhere except right here. Wherever it’s cheaper, that’s where the jobs go. You cannot rely on a job to provide for you. You got to be a motivator and make your own living. It’s all up to you, a job can be taken away at any moment.

24) Be proud - Pride is a sin? It’s a sin to be a little bitch.

25) Be fit – We already said a man must lift weights, but lifting isn’t enough to give you a hardbody. You’ve got to take control of your diet and supplement regimen. If you’re a fatso you may have to do some cardio as well. Have you ever had someone touch your arms and her eyes go wide? It’s a great feeling. Have you ever heard someone say “Whoa!” when you took your shirt off? My program Body of a Spartan is the best program on the internet for natural, drug free trainers.

26) Never argue with idiots – Arguing is a waste of time. In any argument one person is right and one person is wrong. Why would the person who is right waste time with the person who is wrong? A stupid person will never be able to understand that they are stupid and wrong, but you make a fool of yourself when you treat stupid people as if they were smart and capable of understanding the truth. If they were smart and capable of understanding the truth then you wouldn’t be arguing in the first place. Arguing is for children. It is unbecoming of a man to be caught acting like a child.

27) Not spend all day on social networking sites- These sites are for girls. Liberated women who are so independent that they have all the time in the world to whine about how there are no real men. Stay the fuck off of these places, there are better uses of your time. (Don’t forget to like this post so your facebook friends can show up and get the kick in the ass they need).

28) Hold yourself accountable - It’s all up to you. If you want it to happen and you put in the work and sweat equity it’s all your fault if it succeeds or fails. Blaming others is the cowards way out.

29) Give 110% at all times - Winning isn’t everything, if you’re a loser. It’s one thing to give it your all and come out 2nd or 3rd best. It’s another to put in only half effort. Half effort motherfuckers are dead to me. You’re either full on 100% or you’re a ghost.

Like porn, it makes you lazy, and it sucks the manliness out of you. If you swear that smoking weed helps you do anything better I have news for you -> you are addicted.

Kick that habit cold turkey now. Don’t smoke a last joint, throw that grass in the toilet, shit on it, and flush it. The panic and the withdrawal symptoms will come crashing down, like a ton of bricks. But you will remain firm, and strong, by following 30 days of discipline down to the last detail.

You will become a better man. Everything you do will be better. You will look better, you will talk better, your presence will be felt stronger, your social skills will improve dramatically. You will no longer live inside a bubble of smoke and dreams, it will be you against the world, like it was meant to be.

And when that fool next to you lights up that dick shaped blunt, sucks in the fagotry of Mary Jane, and hands it over it you, your mind will remain calm, and clear, and you will be better man when you say “NO” and walk away.

I came here while researching the porn/jerking -off energy draft. Great stuff !
While reading the 32 things, I bought my name domain name immediately. I also recommend buying domain name privacy so no one can get all your contact info right from there. Thanks Vic for this great blog !

I like it. My only gripe is with he meat-eating part; I know personally some manly vegetarians. If you think about it, renunciation shows will-power and manliness. I understand that 99% of veggies are fags. What separates my friends apart from them is the fact that they are 100% continent, chaste.

I had a salad today for the first time in over a year and it was probably the most delicious meal I’ve eaten in over a year. It was that good. So now I’m highly relaxed. Of course, it had plenty of roast beef on top.

Dead on, Leon. Being a slave or addicted to ANY drugs, and/or alcohol screams, “I’m weak. I’m a pussy.” If you need to be mind altered to meet women or at social events…. you’re effin soft! Dig this blog.

On Monday, we had some kick ass weather here in Seattle..so got up and rented a kayak on Lake Union…something about being on a lake relaxing when everyone else is working…and 2 hrs for $18….pretty freakin sweet

The advice that really hit home for me was the dress part.

Being self employed and working at home from a lap top, I got in some pretty bad habits wearing sweats and the like all the time

I have some nice gear, but since I wasn’t meeting anyone for business, I would just wear sweats

So started wearing my nice gear, and last week went down to Nordstroms to buy some more…it makes a world of difference…in how you feel, your productivity, and how people treat you…even the same people who see you all the time

As a side note, if there is a Nordstroms around you, I highly recommend spending the extra money there.

Its flat out quality…and I have a lot of shirts from 2006 that I STILL get complemented on.

I dress smart and work from a University library. I’m the smartest looking guy in the place. Guess how many people there are working on a business, actually doing something productive and providing value instead of say… writing a paper on pre-industrial feminist vegetarian oil-painting critique?

Best guess, as far as I can tell, round about none of them.

P.S. East Asians make up around 8% of the student body and 99% of the after hours library users.

And that is where it becomes difficult. For me, and most I assume, home ownership means a mortgage and with that comes the burden of having to be completely sure that you can pay it every month. Company downsizes, fuck you…pay me. Lost a big client for your own business, fuck you…pay me. Is it that you are now renting your house from the bank and 25 years of payments later you own it? During that limbo, what is “ownership”?

I see both sides, pros and cons, but what is the modern day spartan to do?

You don’t own your home now and you never will. Even if you think you own your home free and clear, you really don’t own it at all. You lease it from the government and it sets the terms and conditions that allow you to occupy the house or sell it to another lessee. The government owns the house and land in perpetuity and you can not alter this arrangement. Even if you manage to pay your mortgage (which translates as death pledge in French) you will still be force to pay a monthly property tax of around $450 per month! There is no way to pay that off once and for all and, in fact, it is subject to constant increase by political whim. Eventually the money paid in relentless property taxes exceeds the cost of the home.

You can’t add onto the home without permission, you can’t subdivide the land without permission. You can only have certain pets and only a certain number of them. You must maintain the home to a certain standard. Violation of any rule can cause you to lose the home and be evicted for repeated non-compliance with government orders. (After all, they are the true owners.)

Depending on your tax jurisdiction, when you die a large portion of your home’s value can be claimed by the government and your heirs would either have to pony up the cash or sell the home to pay the inheritance taxes. Then the government resets the clock with the new “tenant.”

Throughout the long life of the home the government does not contribute a penny to the expense of the home’s upkeep or the costs of complying with the myriad of regulations concerning things like fence heights, swimming pool regulations, tree trimming, wildfire regulations and dozens of other ordinances or bylaws.

Well… I always suspected I was acting like a bit of a woman, and you went ahead and just said it. So… I guess it’s time to get up off my ass and start acting like a man. Well put. Even tho item #31 is kinda BS (no offense). Strike that. Item #31 is BS. How’s that for my first man-test? Ha! I really liked the part about owning my own name. Check. Well done, sir. Liberation.

Hey, you got linked at Jezebel. Congratulations. Hope it drives a lot of traffic to you!

Your stuff’s really helped me out, so I’m glad to see you getting exposure to a wide audience. I’m sure a lot of the readers at that site will just ignore what you have to say, but I bet 5% or 10% stick around.

[…] There are several things I would like to touch upon on what makes a man a man along with how a man should carry himself; a set of rules if you will. Victor Pride from “Bold and Determined” created 32 Things Every Man Should Do. I would like to piggy back on this and add to the list. You can read Victors list here: http://boldanddetermined.com/2012/04/12/32-things-every-man-should-do/ […]

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Featured Comment

Vic,
You might as well be giving away gold.
This strikes a beautiful balance between principles and practical advice. As advertised, there is absolutely zero filler.
It doesn't matter if you're new, or if you're like me and have been trying to make it online for several years - these concepts are proven, timeless, and they work.
Ignore this handbook at your own risk.